The state says that so far there are about 265,000 valid signatures turned in by the group and there are hundreds of thousands more being certified and processed by each individual county's election offices.

Pollara says the signature gathering is truly just the first step in what will likely be an expensive, grueling campaign. He estimates that his group will spend close to $10 million in advertising and marketing.

We're a big state. We have a lot of media markets. They're going to be expensive, given the governor's race," Pollara tells the Washington Post.

Polling has shown that as much as 82 percent of Floridians approve of medical cannabis use and want to see it legalized.